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@afar 22, 1330
Not only did Lady Umm Salamah believe wholeheartedly in the great Book of Alláh, which distinguishes between right and wrong and enjoins repentance to Alláh Almighty, as the Holy Qur'án testifies,[1] she is not rebuked in the Qur'án for insubordination to the Prophet nor because of her supporting the enemies of his wa#i,[2] nor did Alláh, Gabriel, the true believers, and the angels, all side by His Prophet against her, nor did Alláh threaten to divorce her and compensate His Prophet with a better wife than her,[3] nor did He bring the example of the wives of Nú<h and Lú> as being in her own category,[4] nor did she try to instigate the Prophet to make unlawful unto himself that which Alláh has made lawful unto him,[5] nor did the Prophet (pbuh) preach once and point to her residence saying: "Right there is the dissension, disunity, and discord...; from there will the devil's horn come out,"[6] nor did her manners permit her to stretch her legs before the Prophet while performing the rite of prayers, thus showing disrespect to him and to the rite of prayers, without removing them from the place of his prostration till he beckoned her to do so, then when he beckoned her, she lifted her leg till he stood up, then she put it down again...![7]
This is how she was. As if she did not scandalize and arouse people against `Uthmán, calling him "Na`thal," saying, verbatim, "Uqtulu Na`thal faqad kafar!" ("Kill Na`thal, for he has turned kafir [disbeliever]."[8] As if she did not go out of her house, after having been commanded by Alláh Almighty to settle therein,[9] ride her camel `Askar and lead an army,[10] descending a hill or ascending a mountain. Yet she did not yield to advice but insisted on leading the army which she had raised to fight the Imám.[11] Her statement that the Messenger of Alláh (pbuh) died on her chest, therefore, is as good as her statement claiming that the Messenger of Alláh (pbuh) saw a few Sudanese men playing at their mosque with their shields and spears, and he supposedly asked her if she liked to have a look at them, to which invitation she responded in the affirmative. `Áyesha goes on to say: "He let me stand behind him, my cheek on his, and said: `O Sons of Arfada, keep on!'" supposedly encouraging them to play so that the lady mighty be entertained, till he asked her if she saw enough. Upon saying "Yes," he told her to leave.[12] And it is similar to her other story in which she claims: "The Messenger of Alláh (pbuh) came in once when I had two concubines singing for me excitingly. He lay down on the bed. Abu Bakr entered and rebuked me saying: `Do I hear Satan's pipe being played in the presence of the Messenger of Alláh?!' The Messenger of Alláh (pbuh) approached him and told him to leave them alone."[13]
Yet similar to it is another story. She says: "The Prophet raced with me once and I outran him. We kept doing so for years during which I gained weight, and when he outran me, he said: `This [game] cancels that!'" as quoted by Imám A<med in `Áyesha's <ádíth on page 39, Vol. 6, of his Musnad. Or like her statement: "I used to play with girls, and some of my friends would come to play with me, and the Messenger of Alláh used to let them in so that I would play with them," which is quoted by Imám Ahmed who discusses `Áyesha on page 75, Vol. 6, of his Musnad. Or like yet another story of hers quoted by Ibn Abu Shaybah, and it is <ádíth number 1017 of the a<ádíth narrated by Ibn Abu Shaybah in Vol 7 of Kanz al-`Ummál: "I have acquired seven merits no woman, other than Mary daughter of `Umrán, was endowed with: The angel of revelation descended in my own form; the Messenger of Alláh married me as a virgin whom no man ever touched before; the revelation descended upon him while we were having intercourse; he loved me more than any other woman; several verses of the Qur'án were revealed on my behalf that almost caused the nation to perish; I saw Gabriel while none of the other wives of the Prophet saw him besides me; and he breathed his last in my house while nobody was there except I and the angel of death."[14] Other "a<ádíth" which she has narrated go in more details about her "merits," all falling in the same pattern.
As regarding Umm Salamah, suffices her for a merit her loyalty to her wali and her Prophet's wa#i. She was well-known for her terse opinion and great intellect, her strong faith, her suggestion on the Day of \udaybiya which testified to her intellectual prowess, her wise judgment, and her lofty status; may Alláh have mercy and blessings upon her, Wassalam.
Sincerely,
Sh
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[1] This is a reference to the following verse in Súrat al-Ta<rím: "If you both repent to Alláh, then your hearts have submitted to Alláh."
[2] Her insubordination to the vicegerent is manifested by her denial of the existence of the Prophet's will to him, and by bearing grudge towards him as long as he lived. As regarding her insubordination to the Prophet (pbuh), and Allah's readiness to side with His Prophet (pbuh) against her, this is proven by the verse saying: "If they become insubordinate to him, then (suffices him that) Alláh is his Mawla, and so are Gabriel and the righteous among the believers, and even the angels support him (Qur'án, 66:4)."
[3] This <ádíth and the one that precedes it is a reference to the verse "It could be that if he divorces you, his Lord will bless him with wives better than you, submitting to Allah, truly believing in Him."
[4] This is a reference to the statement of the Almighty: "Alláh has struck for those who disbelieved the example of the wife of Nú< and the wife of Lút," to the end of the chapter.
[5] This is a reference to the verse: "O Messenger! Why do you make unlawful what Alláh has made lawful unto you, seeking to please your wives (Qur'án, 66:1)?"
[6] This is quoted by al-Bukhári in his section dealing with stories about what went on at the homes of the Prophet's wives in his dissertation on the issues of holy wars and the Prophet's biography in his @a<í<. It also is on page 125, Vol. 2, following his chapter on the injunction of the khums and its payment. Its wording in Muslim's @a<í< is as follows: "The Messenger of Allah came out of `Áyesha's house and said: `Satan's horn shall come out of this place;'" so refer to page 503 of its second volume [original Arabic text].
[7] Refer to Bukhári's @a<í<, his section dealing with what deeds are lawful while performing the prayers, page 143, Vol. 1.
[8] Her scandalizing `Uthmán and denouncing many of his actions, her calling him names, and her statement: "Kill Na`thal, for he has turned infidel," are hardly overlooked by any book containing such events and affairs. Suffices you what exists in the books of history by Ibn Jarír, Ibn al-Athír, and by others. Some individuals denounced her behaviour and composed poetry in this regard such as:
You started something and schemed,
Like winds blown and rain streamed;
You ordered them to slay the Imám,
Claiming he reneged from Islám...
Up to the conclusion of these verses which are quoted on page 80, Vol. 3, of Ibn al-Athír's Al-Kámil, after reference was made as to how the Battle of the Camel started.
[9] That is, when the Almighty says: "And remain at your homes, and do not decorate your selves as you used to do during the days of jáhiliyya (Qur'án, 33:33)."
[10] The camel `Ayesha was riding during the Ba#ra incident was called `Askar. It was brought to her by Ya`li ibn Umayyah, and it was huge, masculine. When she saw it, she liked it, but when she came to know that its name was `Askar, she changed her mind and said: "Return it, for I have no need for it." She stated that the Messenger of Alláh (pbuh) had informed her of such name and forbidden her from riding it; so, they changed its saddle and brought it back to her saying: "We have found another one for you, larger and stronger." Thus, she was pleased with it. This incident is mentioned by a number of writers of history and of biographies; so, refer to page 80, Vol. 2, of Shar< Nahjul Balághah by the Mu`tazilite scholar.
[11] The <ádíth in this regard is quite famous, and it is one of the signs of true prophethood and miracles of Islam. It has been summarized by Imám A<med ibn \anbal while quoting `Áyesha's <ádíth in his Musnad, pages 52 and 97, Vol. 6. \ákim did likewise, quoting it on page 120, Vol. 3, of his authentic Mustadrak, and al-Thahbi admitted the same when he quoted it in his Talkhís al-Mustadrak.
[12] This <ádíth about her is undisputed. It is quoted by both shaykhs in their #a<í<s; so, you may refer to Bukhári's @a<í<, the beginning of his section on both `Ííds, page 116, Vol. 1, and refer to Muslim's @a<í<, his section on permissible sports during the days of the eid, page 327, Vol. 1. Also refer to A<med's Musnad, page 57, Vol. 6.
[13] This is quoted by al-Bukhári, Muslim, and Imám A<med from `Áyesha's <ádíth which we referenced in the footnote above.
[14] It is unanimously agreed upon that he (pbuh) died in the presence of `Ali (as), and that `Ali (as) was nursing him and aiding him; so, how can it be accurate to claim that he died while nobody was there except `Áyesha and the angel of death? Where were `Ali (as) and `Abbás then? And where were Fá>ima (as) and @afiyya? Or where were the Prophet's consorts and all the descendants of Háshim? How did they leave him to `Áyesha alone? It is also quite obvious that Mary, peace be upon her, did not really possess any of the seven virtues the mother of believers attributes to her; so, what is the wisdom of her using her as the only exception?